Libya and the Left

Sarah Lawrence, With Guns

We asked a former West Point professor about teaching literature at the nation’s most prestigious military academy. What he told us revealed the truth behind the country’s most elite warrior caste — and how liberal heroes like Thoreau and the Beats inspire the next generation of “Runaway Generals.”

Black, Brown, and Invisible

Just as mass incarceration uses the gloss of rehabilitation to hide the realities of social control, military intervention has appropriated the language of humanitarianism to disguise imperialist motives.

Germany’s New Far Right

In Germany, a "modernized" far right is marrying neoliberalism and racism. What will be the Left's response?

The Problem with Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders' choice to run as a Democrat means he can't present a real alternative to Hillary Clinton.

The Party We Need

Imagine a different inauguration. If we had a working-class party, what would it fight for?

The Roots of Terrorism

US atrocities at home and abroad foster support for terrorist groups.

Saving, Not Invading

In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, here’s an idea: bring the troops home. Retrain them. And use them for disaster relief.

Never Forget Nagasaki

Two veterans go to Japan to discuss the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the urgent need for nuclear disarmament.

“War Is for Profit, Workers Can Stop It”

Ten years ago today, West Coast longshore workers celebrated May Day by walking out against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Chelsea Manning Against the Grand Jury

Chelsea Manning was recently jailed for refusing to testify in a grand jury investigation against Julian Assange. Her refusal is an act of resistance against the abusive use of grand juries and prosecutorial intimidation.

Broken Barry

On HBO’s new tragicomedy, a veteran plumbs the depths of his combat record for the stage — but ends up painting a portrait of middle-American desolation.

The University of Phoenix Army

For-profit colleges are making Wall Street firms even richer. Bush’s 2008 GI Bill helped make that possible.

The Fantasy World of US Empire

Apologists for US empire like Max Boot insist that American victory was possible in the Vietnam War. It wasn’t. But as long as the war machine needs justification for new interventions — today, in countries like Venezuela and Iran — writers like Boot will have an audience for their imperialist fantasies.

The US Cannot Retaliate Against Iran’s Strikes in Iraq

There is only one morally justifiable response to tonight’s attack on US military bases, no matter what: the United States cannot escalate the conflict with Iran.

War Is an Enormous Threat to the Rising Movement Against Climate Change

US wars have historically been used to beat back and repress exactly the kind of Left movements that we need to tackle the climate crisis. We can’t just focus on fighting climate change or US imperialism — we have to stop both.

Joe Biden Jumped at the Chance to Help George W. Bush Sell the Invasion of Iraq

After September 11, George W. Bush decided to blaze a path of death and destruction in Iraq by invading. He was given crucial assistance by Joe Biden.

Trump the “Putin Puppet” Just Dramatically Escalated the Undeclared War Against Russia

The national security state has claimed a dangerous new victory: receiving authorization from Trump to conduct cyberattacks against enemies around the world with greater leeway — especially Russia. It’s the latest success for a years-long pressure campaign by the national security bureaucracy centered on Orwellian claims that Trump’s foreign policy is somehow pro-Russian.

The General Who Brought Down the American Empire

In 2002, the Pentagon staged a $250 million war game known as the “Millennium Challenge.” It was supposed to be a fixed fight  — until a retired Marine lieutenant general, playing the role of a Middle Eastern country, brought the US military to its knees.

The Biden Era Is Witnessing a Return of the Military-Industrial Complex

One of the top national security think tanks backing the Biden administration, the Center for a New American Security, has been taking money from every major defense contractor while pumping out a steady stream of research supporting those companies’ interests. It’s yet another sign that Biden’s promised “return to normal” has, unfortunately, arrived.